Thursday, March 22, 2012

Short Side-by-side of TM900 and FZ150

I shot a very quick side-by-side of the TM900 and the FZ150 last month, but didn't post it because the "outdoor" comparison was shot through a window screen, the piece was edited in Windows Movie Maker (poor compression) and doesn't really show what either camera is capable of.  But I haven't had time to re-shoot it, and it does show a few things - e.g., a color reproduction comparison and the relative smoothness of the zooms - so I've decided to post it. Please watch at 1080p.

Bottom line: both cameras shoot great 1080/60p video in auto modes.  I will say this - I love my GH1 & GH2, but they take the most work to get great still/movie images.  The TM900 takes less work, but you still have to understand white balance and iris and shutter speed, etc. to stay out of trouble.  But the FZ150 takes almost zero effort to get great images.  When I just want to pick up the camera and shoot, I pick up my wife's FZ150. Bonus: it's the least expensive!

I will shoot a better comparison when I get some time - it may take a month or two, but I'll make it happen!



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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Tascam DR40 4 Channel Digital Recorder 15% off at Amazon!

Amazon special offer on the Tascam DR40 portable 4 track digital recorder.  I just scored one of these 'H4N killers' for $161.38 (regular price $189.96 - a 15% discount).  Discount is credited at checkout.

That's only $60 more than I paid for my Zoom H1.  They won't last long at this price.  Get 'em while they're hot!

Great review here.

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Friday, March 2, 2012

Canon 5D MkIII Available for Pre-Order at Adorama!

The Canon Mk III, announced yesterday, is already available for pre-order for $3499 from Adorama.  Expected delivery is March 30th.  Replacing the full-frame 5D MkII, the Mk III responds to the Nikon D800 with many of the features that Canon hybrid still/video shooters have been clamoring for.

On the plus side, Canon seems to have:

  • Dealt with their moire problem by eliminating line skipping with the powerful new Digic 5+ processor,
  • Upped the ridiculous 12 minute continuous video recording time limit to 29 minutes,
  • Included a headphone jack and full manual audio gain control - and the sample videos from Canon look pretty good (here, here and here)...
But on the minus side:

  • It still has a fixed LCD, so you'll need to buy a loupe to shoot outdoors
  • It has no EVF (because of the antiquated DSLR mirror box), so you'll need a monitor for high/low/around the corner shooting angles
  • And it is not clear to me that it has the ability to autofocus in video mode - although Canon's forthcoming silent autofocus lenses indicate that it will.

I plan to rent this camera for a side-by-side with the $900 Panasonic GH2 as soon as it becomes available.  Stay tuned - I'll let you know how it goes!

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